Peninsula Paradise

What a perfect day. We got to sleep in -- that means past 8 a.m. for the first Saturday all summer. Then got to golf 18 holes on a most sunny and warm day.

Today's course was the Peninsula State Park Golf Course. Pretty course. Some elevation changes and plenty of views of the Ephraim harbor on the course. That was cool. Took plenty of photos and took plenty of shots, too. This is only my third time golfing this summer -- the other times were with Scott & Sandy, too -- so I can't expect to be good and I'm not. Still lots of fun.

On the way back to the cottage, we stopped for ice cream/frozen custard at a place called Not Licked Yet. Sort of sounds naughty for those with their mind in the gutter. But for real, the flavor of the day was "50 Shades of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough"! What Christian Grey fan could resist that? It was pretty tasty, that's for sure.

Got back to the cottage and went for a swim in the bay. Yes, it's technically Green Bay but I just can't stomach calling it that! We cruised around in the golf cart to dry off and now we've got chicken on the grill. I better head back.

Gotta clean my plate so I can have s'mores over the fire later! Yup, life on the peninsula is paradise!

Open Door Policy

Dateline DOOR COUNTY...

Hubby and I escaped to the peninsula today for a weekend of celebration... my birthday, our 10th anniversary (Sunday) and his birthday (Tuesday). Plus celebrating a long friendship with our friends Scott and Sandy, who are hosting us at their cottage in Southern Door County.

Carter (yes, I just remembered we have a kid) is spending the weekend at a friend's house so it really is just an adult relaxation weekend.

Got here around 6ish. Grilled out, started the campfire, had ice cream cake for my birthday, then took some gorgeous sunset pictures on the beach. We are on the west side of the peninsula so the sun sets across the water and looks absolutely stunning. Can't wait to share.

I had to hike a bit to get wireless so I better head back before they worry I've been attacked by a wild bear or dog or something.

Agenda for tomorrow: Golf, swim, sun.

Agenda for Sunday: Ditto.

I better get started!

Double Digits

With my better half -- twin sister Raylene (left) on our 5th birthday.

I remember when turning "double digits" meant you were finally out of the singles and getting closer to becoming a teen! Since then, the only doubles I've seen are 11, 22, 33 and now, sigh, 44. I don't know why I feel so much older than last year at this time.

Of course, a year ago I was running up to 7 or 8 miles by this time of the summer in my training for the half. Now I'm mostly walking and lucky to get a run of any kind in once a week. Last year at this time I felt more healthy, too, no surprise. Now I've got the elderly aches and pains (oh my hip; oh my back) and have a container of pills to pick up at the pharmacy once a month.

Yup, I'd say things are down hill... but I will be the last to admit I've even made it up the hill, let alone over the hill and on my way down. This is probably just a bump along the way. This could be a turning point for the good.

And don't get me wrong. Other than the age-related things, life is darn good right now. I feel happy and content and loved. It's a nice, nice feeling!

Had a typical Thursday more than a typical birthday today. I worked and then had to go to the dentist. Got home in time for us to head to the ballpark for Carter's 6 p.m. game. I ended up doing the scorebook again. I think we tend to lose when I do that. I need to get back into my groove of cooking the books so we win! Tonight it was a 10-run shortened game and loss. We didn't mind. It was close to record heat today. Yikes.

By the time Carter's game was done, my tooth/mouth numbness had finally worn off so hubby took me out to eat ... at the concession stand! Hey, they have super cheeseburgers there! Plus he got me a massage certificate and my appointment is already made for Monday -- after our golfing weekend! Very, very nice.

I got some other cards and gifts and a ton of birthday greetings from my twin, other friends, family and Facebook connections. No matter what age, I always love my birthday. I love feeling so special! It makes some of those aches and pains disappear!

Prep Work

I realize my birthday isn't until tomorrow but I figured I better prep a bit today. Basically, make today all about ME, too!

Started the day at work then an early appointment with my hair artist. I refuse to enter another year with a gray hair on my head!

Skipped my noon workout and got a half-hour chair massage. Oooooh. Needed that.

On the way home from work, after Carter begged, we stopped at King Cone and I got a delicious cup of Caramel Cashew Whirlpool for supper. Yes, that constitutes a meal.

Got home and baked a Hornet's Nest Cake for my treat at work tomorrow. Why yes it is 93 degrees out, but we have the air on so I could bake!

This evening, my friend Christine and I enjoyed "class" at Hot Pink YOUniversity at some wine place -- that also served good Point Brewery cream soda! Hot Pink You is not related to Victoria's Secret at all. But it does cater to women... giving a venue to network, just meet people and learn to empower ourselves, mainly by loving ourselves. A friend of mine started this in the area and I hope it does well. We had a good time -- plus I won a door prize. So yes, I opened a birthday gift early! Tee hee.

Came home and Carter was off to a movie with a girl friend (two words) and her mom. This will be his first lesson in getting home late on a work night! Even if he is tired and crabby tomorrow, I will not let him spoil MY day.

What, another day all about ME? At this age, I deserve it, doncha think?

Agony of de-feet... and de-arm

Carter had a league game tonight vs. the Brewers. Unfortunately, 4 of our Phillies players were no-shows, so with 8 guys we were running short on hitters, fielders and, you guessed it, pitchers.

Has Carter practiced since his last turn on the mound? No. He's not a pitcher, remember?

Well, as they say in that Pixar Robots movie... See a need, fill a need. ... And he did.

He ended up pitching 3 innings and his arm was tired. The main goal for him is just to get it to the plate. He can't aim. He can't change up the speed. He just chucks and hopes for the best. His first two innings weren't bad, only allowing one run each, but he had a crushing third inning and more runs were scored. He ended up walking 7 batters over the course of 3 innings. That isn't so bad compared to the pitcher right before him, who walked 7 in just one inning. Carter also threw some strikeouts, but ultimately, we lost 13-9.

Will he do it again? Chances are, he might have to. He might want to practice a little then. Just in case.

And of course, avoid downing 10 Chicken McNuggets right before the game.

It's all a learning curve, I guess. Now if we could just get his pitches to do that! Maybe next time.

Batter, up!

Treasure Hunt

Had a night off from baseball, which left me home for a change. I put some french fries in the oven and grilled up some burgers for supper. Not like we don't get enough burgers at the ballpark... but these are different. (I tell myself.)

After supper, I spent some time in the kitchen and you'll never guess what I found! The kitchen counter!

Uffda. Quite the treasure hunt to find that!

It has become quite the repository for bills, tourney schedules, birthday cards (hint, hint), newspapers and more bills. It's amazing what piles up after a few weeks of neglect. Don't worry, this undomestic goddess was not late on paying any bills and didn't miss any games!

It was nice to sift through and be done with it. The guys were off in the neighborhood getting into their own kinds of trouble. I didn't mind the quiet. In fact, it was good to have a nice conversation with God, who I was bugging mercilessly today, praying for my cousin's health and well-being.

Tonight I needed that time to thank Him. My cousin woke up today, recognized her family and has use of her extremities. So it may have been a mild stroke like my mom had a dozen years back. I think they have more testing to do. So I'll keep bugging God and thanking Him intermittently.

In the meantime, I should get some more things done. I have bathrooms to clean, pictures to upload and oh, wow, I better re-do these fingernails! Priorities!

Off to find the next treasure...

Sweet Taste of Victory

Quite a Sunday around here. Since Carter's team was to play at 10, we had to leave town by 8:15 a.m. We were both supposed to serve at church for the 8 a.m. service. He was on to acolyte and I was on for reading.

I texted our pastor last night and told him the situation. I mean we had full intentions of Carter being there -- especially since we typically haven't made it to the Sunday playoff situation this summer. We worked out a deal where Carter didn't have to be there and I could read, leave church when I was done and Jim, Carter and his teammate Zach would swing by the parking lot and pick me up about 8:20. Worked fine. (I even survived reading for the first time since Christmas Eve when I almost fainted!)

Got to Marshfield on time to play against Manitowoc for 5th place. Well, like I said, at least we were playing on Sunday. And the boys were still jazzed from their win last night so they carried that momentum through. It was an unbelievable game. For once we were on the giving end of a big score. We beat them soundly, 18-5. Not a typo there. We really kicked butt.

Regardless of coming home without a trophy, it sure feels good to finally have some wins. Now we are "off" for two weekends. Hope they keep remembering how good today feels and want to repeat it!

We headed straight over to Plover from Marshfield. All our girls teams were playing in a tournament there -- including Zach's sister. So we dropped him off to get a ride home with his family... and naturally hung around to watch a little softball. Our girls in the various age groups did not have a good weekend. Shucks. In the small world category, I ran into my old boss who has been gone for a handful of years now. His team from Shawano was there. Nice to catch up and see his family.

We got home after a detour to Polito's Pizza and I was ready for a nap. I did find my lounge chair and tanned my backside a bit, but couldn't fall asleep. It won't take me long tonight, that's for sure. I got my grocery shopping done, some laundry, got to see highlights of my Twins beating hubby's Reds, and even got in a short walk with Carter (he's gotta break in his hiking shoes). Felt good.

The only downer -- and it's a major one -- is that I learned my cousin had a stroke today and is being airlifted to a hospital in Eau Claire. She is just in her early 50s and was perfectly fine yesterday during a family get-together. You just never know when something is going to happen!! I appreciate any prayers for LaRaye and please, please don't forget to give your loved ones a hug today!

We need to treasure the small things -- like baseball victories -- and the big things -- those who hold our hearts in their hands.

W is for Win

Some things are worth waiting for. Carter's team has had only one victory in 3 baseball tournaments. Today, after our second loss in our fourth tourney, we turned things around.

First game was at 10 a.m. against New Richmond. Despite one of our guys hitting a home run out of the park and Carter having an awesome hit to right field, we still lost 9-2. Bummer!

During our "intermission" -- the 3 hours til we had to be back for our next game -- we stopped at Target so Carter could buy his new iPod Touch. Yes, he is a good saver so this is quite the upgrade from the "regular" iPod he put through the washer and dryer.

After that, we went to see Jim's aunt and uncle who live in Marshfield. Had a nice visit with them, then headed back to the ballpark at 3. Since our game wasn't until 4, I had a chance to take a walk and get some steps. I was smart today and brought my tennies so I wouldn't have to hoof it that far in flip-flops!

For both games we had light rain showers. During the second one, it was just an annoying enough drizzle we had to use umbrellas. It did not interfere with the game against Sussex. We were tied 1-1 then 2-2 and so on until they jumped ahead 8-6. We somehow rallied like yesterday and pulled ahead -- this time keeping our lead and winning 11-8. How awesome is that?! Finally, a W!

So now we return in the morning and play for 5th place overall. Oh well, it's better than being done and out.

When we got home, we dropped Carter off and Jim and I went out on a date. Whoo-hoo! We went to Anchor Bay, a bar/restaurant on the Wisconsin River, where the two-person band KatmanDeux was playing. The woman -- Kat or Kathy -- is a high school classmate of Jim's. They were in Swing Choir together actually. She was awesome! She could belt out any strong lead female vocal you can think of -- from Emmylou Harris and Martina McBride to Pat Benatar and Adele. Excellent! Her partner sang, too, but was most impressive playing the drums, bass or banjo, and the harmonica... all at the same time! Quite a talent.

It was a nice date and it was fun meeting her. Now it's off to bed to sleep quick (again) and hope for more good things to come tomorrow.

Cinderella

I'm about to turn into a pumpkin, so I better blog fast. Trust me, I don't do "after midnight" very well at my old age. Especially when we can't sleep in the next day!

Had a full Friday. We worked from home, mainly because Carter's tourney is in Marshfield and we would have had to leave Iola really early to get home, get Carter and get up to Marshfield for our first game at 4:30. Working remotely allowed us to get things done up to 2:30.

We did take a break for lunch. My father-in-law tipped us off to freshly grilled ribeye steak sandwiches being sold at the IGA in town. We get there and run into Jim's uncle. Apparently, when you are retired, you just call your retired friends and family and let them know the best lunch deals in town. Lots of people in line. Good sandwich, by the way!

Weather was nice and sunny today so we were able to play baseball and stay dry -- unlike last weekend. Our first opponent was the host team. We were tied 1-1 going into the 4th inning. They scored 5 runs and we were down 6-1 but came back with an incredibly exciting rally inning to tie it up! We were so pumped. Unfortunately, Marshfield came back with another 7 runs (I wish I was kidding) and we eventually lost 13-8. Ugh.

Tomorrow it's two games so I hope we can turn it around!!

Got back in time for Carter to go to a "we're just hanging out" party with friends -- and Jim and I "just hung out" with friends, too. Now we're all home and ready to sleep fast.

One of these days I will be home long enough to get something done... hopefully before the broom and mop team up and trap me in a dusty corner. Cinderella couldn't get away with it so I don't know what makes me think I can!

On the Mound

Carter had a league baseball game tonight. So after much running around in town and picking up a teammate, we headed down to Nekoosa for a 6 p.m. game. Since 3 of our regular players didn't show, guess what Carter got to do tonight?

Pitch!

Not kidding. He hadn't even attempted it all spring for school ball nor this summer for the tourney team. But they decided to put him on the mound the last two innings. At that point, we were already down 9-2 so we might as well give the other pitchers a break.

I couldn't believe he was going to pitch and there I sat, the one time without my good camera. Lucky I had my little Black Friday Purse Camera with so I could attempt a few shots, facing the sun. I couldn't really zoom and they are bit blurry, but you get the idea...

 

 

 

Overall, he didn't do too badly. In two innings, they only got one hit off of him and he walked one. No runs. He also was hitting pretty solid so I hope that continues into the weekend when we play for keeps.

Hump Day Headlines

Some short items on the longest day...

It's Not the Heat: I know what they mean about that humidity. It's crushing at times. Today, when we got out of the car at work, it was already hot and humid. We're talking 79 degrees at 7:30 a.m. It was 90 by early afternoon. When I went to workout at the fitness center, it was one of those days where the steering wheel in the car was too hot to touch. Yikes. That's our introduction to summer!

Foul Line: Tonight I took Carter and a teammate to baseball tournament team practice. Thanks to a stiff breeze, it was not as hot as earlier in the day. In fact, I was just fine parking my lawn chair in the shade to read my book for 90+ minutes. There's something incredibly sneaky and naughty to sit in the middle of a ballpark complex reading a 50 Shades of Grey book. Did I cross the line? Maybe. It's not like I read out loud. A couple of dads commented their wives were reading it, too. Ha. Can't get away with anything!

IGNORE-ance is Bliss: I learned today 14 is that magic age a teen boy is embarrassed by his mother. I walked out of the fitness center after my workout and he sat not 20 feet away and did not say "hi." I honestly didn't even see him until I got in the car. Then, when I drove by him (and the girls he was lunching with), he held up a magazine in front of his face like he was busy reading. Nice way to ignore me. I stuck out my tongue and waved anyway. Yup. We are both very mature for our ages! I'm telling you, my mom wouldn't have put up with that at all. I might just have try it with him -- the next time he asks me for money!

Storm Stories: There was some wicked flooding up in Duluth today. Water in streets, roads washed away. Crazy. Now there is a huge, huge line of storms guaranteed not to miss us. So I better log off before the electricity forces me to.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Late Nite Sports Report

OK, having baseball games START at 8 p.m. is tough on a school night, well work night.

Just got home and the good news is that our Phillies team won their League game 8-2 over Nekoosa.

The great news is the 90-degree humid weather disappeared and we had a pleasant, breezy evening.

The super great news is that Carter finally cracked his hitting slump. He hit the first time up and made it on due to a fielding error. The second time up, he hit a solid shot to right field. Hurray. Could things finally turn around? Better late than never.

The only bad news -- other than getting less than 7 hours of sleep tonight -- is that books #2 and #3 in the Fifty Shades trilogy arrived today and now I don't have time to read before bed! Looks like my morning commute will be entertaining though!

OK, that's all we have time for tonight. Sweet, quick dreams!

Workforce Development

The resume building has begun.

Today was Carter's first official day joining the workforce. I mean the serious, official kind of work the requires the W-2 and W-4 and W-whatever forms to get started. And, more importantly, get paid.

It was interesting. He was at the fitness and aquatic center all last week for the Adventures in Leadership program -- and has spend numerous summers going in and out of those doors. But today, knowing it was his first day on the job, he was a bit nervous. On the commute over, he taps my shoulder from the back seat and whispers, "Mom, will you walk me in?" Awww. My baby isn't all grown up just yet.

We picked him up after we were done for the day and he said it went well. His main duties "on the clock" are assisting with swimming lessons -- getting needed equipment ready for various age groups and helping (possibly comforting) them in the water during the lessons as needed.

"Did you have any fun?" I asked. Yes, he said, it was cool getting to know all the kids and the lifeguards, too. (No doubt.) One kid follows him around all day and keeps inviting him to his house. He thinks Carter is so cool. Don't we all?

So of course we had to celebrate with some King Cone on the way home! He deserves it, you know!

Obviously, he'll have to learn that we can't stop every day. Most definitely when Mom drives, though!

Dad's Day

In honor of Father's Day, I am posting this nice picture of John Austin, his son James and grandsons Casey and Carter. You might see that Carter not only looks a bit like Daddy, but a bit like Grandpa, too!

That was taken last weekend at Colin's graduation party. Today we spent Father's Day at the ballpark. No surprise.

Our appearance in Antigo was short lived. Had a close, tough game with Eau Claire and they held on to beat us 3-2. That was it, then. Since it was single elimination, we were sent home with no wins and no hardware. Sigh. One of these weekends we will!

We dropped off our passengers and headed to the Kellner Fields nearby to catch the championship game our friend's 15-year-old daughter was playing in. The Rapids team won! So at least some of our teams were having a good weekend.

After the game, we hung around awhile while the dads shared some wisdom and adult beverages. Not necessarily in the order!

Came home and was able to catch the Twins-Brewers game on TV. Went grocery shopping and came home and was still able to catch the Twins-Brewers game on TV. After 15 innings, the Twins managed to pull out a victory. Yay! We'll take that.

Now it's couch time for the U.S. Open. Or whatever else Dad wants to watch!!

I have to let him have control of the remote once in awhile.

Rain Delay

Apparently when the forecast calls for a 30% chance of rain that means it's going to rain for 30% of the day.

Hmmm. Didn't see that one coming.

We hit the road by 7:15 a.m. to pick up a teammate and his mom and get up to Antigo by 9 a.m. Since it allegedly was going to be 80-some degrees with that 30% of rain, the CRV was packed with everything from a cooler to blankets and umbrellas. We were prepared.

The first game started at 10 a.m. and it was pleasant. Partly sunny and breezy and temps probably in the mid-60s. Good for fans and good for the boys. But they got hot and cranky quickly when we got to losing. Big time.

We played a Marshfield team that wasn't necessarily a lot better than us. We just happened to hit all of our balls right to them. Had a hard time getting on base. Whereas they managed to knock their hits to the "holes" and got on. We lost 11-3 and had about 10 minutes before game #2 was to start at noon.

It suddenly got cloudy and windy and cooler. We knew something was up. Those who could tap into the radar on their smart phones confirmed it. So we grabbed our umbrellas and jackets just in case.

We only got as far as the second inning against Wausau, down 2-1, and it started to rain. In no time it was pouring. It was coming down sideways and it was right into the dugout so the boys had no place to go. While we parents went to our vehicles. The smart 13- and 4-year-olds tried to squeeze into two places of shelter -- a small shed and the porta-potty. I'm not kidding. You know teenage boys and their potty humor. Yikes. Glad they didn't knock it over.

We basically waited it out at the field for half an hour and it was not letting up. So we got word we needed to head to the other field where games were also being played. By the time we got there, of course the rain had moved through and their fields were all a mess, too.

We honestly sat there in our vehicles -- in the rain -- for more than 2 more hours before a decision was made that the rest of the games for the day had to be called off. There was no way the fields would be in condition to play -- especially since it still hadn't stopped raining.

So they decided to wipe the slate clean and start fresh tomorrow. They won't count today's games -- wins or losses -- and redrew the teams for the bracket. Now tomorrow they will hold it as a single-elimination tournament. We go up and play at 10 a.m. and we need to win to play again later. Otherwise, we come home.

We were just glad to get going home and get out of the cold. Funny thing was we were cold and cranking the heat, but when we got back to Rapids it was 20 degrees warmer and muggy. They did get some rain here but the softball games nearby were still going on.

So we got to see our neighbor girl play and make the rounds catching parts of games that other friends' daughters were in. Didn't hang around too long. Had to come home and wash Carter's muddy white baseball pants so he can do some more damage tomorrow.

We hope.

I'm not even bothering to look at the forecast!

Pre-Game Warm-up

We had today "off" from baseball, thank goodness. It was so warm and humid, it would have been a bit miserable this afternoon.

We still ended up at the ball park, though. This weekend it's the girls' turn to host the tournament in Rapids. So we got to see some of our friends' daughters play in various age groups. Besides that, we had two co-workers who had daughters on visiting teams so we got to see a little bit of their games, too. At one point, I knew girls on all 4 fields!

Kind of cool to see since most weekends the girls and boys play in different towns. Since we don't play until tomorrow, we had this one chance to watch.

We did have to cut our night short, though, so we could get decent sleep. We're hitting the road a little after 7 a.m. to go to Antigo. That'll take 90 minutes, I think. We play at 10 a.m. and noon so we'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Then we play again Sunday morning at 10:30. I do hope the rain stays away and we have a decent tourney.

Today's warm-up is probably a sign it's going to be hot one again this weekend.There's a 30% chance of rain/scattered thunderstorms. I suspect it will be one of those days where if it stays dry, the humidity will probably hover at 90%. Either way, we'll get wet.

That's just part of the fun. Batter, up!

World Record?

You never know when something you do will go down in history.

Except when you're trying. Then you hope -- at a minimum -- you are earning your 15 minutes of fame.

Carter took the plunge today to possibly make history. He and more than 70 others at the Iola-Scandinavia Fitness and Aquatic Center were part of an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest swimming lesson.

The inaugural event in 2010 established the record with 20,000 participants representing 13 countries and 45 U.S. states. Water parks and public pools all around the country were simultaneously hosting the event today in an attempt to break the record while teaching swimming skills and raising awareness about drowning hazards.

For ages one to 14, Carter's age, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death. What a scary thought.

I grew up across the road from a lake so swimming was a just a natural thing -- with some lessons, of course. Eventually, I was a lifeguard for a few summers, too, when I was a camp counselor. I was and continue to be surprised when I come across adults who cannot swim. Maybe they never needed to or never planned to jump in a lake or hop on board a boat. 

Of course, we're a bit biased living in states with more than 10,000 lakes! It almost seems a necessity.

I am glad we had Carter take swimming lessons all along. Doesn't mean he's going to be lifeguarding or joining any competitive swim team, but he enjoys it. (Sometimes we have to just let them have fun and not tell them it's good exercise, too, right?)

There's no word on when Guinness will rule on today's record attempt. But you can be sure you'll be the first, well second or third, to know!

On Guard

Due to our temperamental sump pump, I was really diligent yesterday about keeping an eye on it after I showered, then after hubby showered and again after Carter showered. It seemed to be working fine.

Today, I mistakenly relaxed my guard. I didn't check it after my shower but after Jim was done, I figured I better go down to the basement to check it. I opened the door and the first few steps are in darkness until you get to the light switch. I did not need to get that far. The sound of my slippers splashing in a puddle told me all I needed to know.

Shoot.

Nothing like Wet-Vac-ing before getting ready for work. Thankfully, I had had my first cup of coffee by then!

So we left part of the mess that wasn't going to harm anything and went to work. Tomorrow, at 8 a.m., a plumber will stop by and take our money... hopefully for fixing something. Jim thinks the "float" must be on the fritz. But we'll see what the water guy says.

Either way, we're either going to see water or dollar signs floating before our eyes.

I think I'll go to bed and keep my eyes shut!

Daily Commute

Today was Carter's first day commuting with us to Iola. This week he is doing the Adventures in Leadership program. Next week he'll start his job duties.

It was a long ride without his iPod. He survived.

We had to pick him up by 2:45 to get back into Rapids for a 4 p.m. appointment. Knowing we were on a tight schedule, he still asked if we could stop at King Cone. Unfortunately, I had to say "no." Right now, between our two detours en route to work, we don't even go by King Cone anymore. It is actually out of the way. But there have been times we have still been able to find it. We are nothing if we are not diligent!

One of these days, when we aren't pressed for time, we'll stop in. Hopefully the road construction ends soon so King Cone returns to our route. I'm fully aware Wisconsin only has two seasons -- winter and road construction -- but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

I imagine Carter and I will make up for lost time later.

Hey, we have to have some perks to our jobs!

A Penny Saved...

There's something to be said for details. After seeking out all that advice on how to save a wet iPod, I find out now it's all for naught.

When did Carter discover his iPod had gone through the wash? Uhm, that would be when he was folding his clothes.... AFTER they had gone through the washer AND the dryer. Just a little detail that would have been nice to know.

Of course, that means his iPod is basically fried. Little chance of survival. But we'll keep it in the bag of rice for a week, just in case.

Now it pretty goes without saying that his Cans For Carter Fund is going to be earmarked for something different. You might recall it initially was for a go-kart, then he thought maybe a car... now it's an iPod Touch, which is an expensive upgrade from his regular iPod.

He's actually closer to saving $200 than I am, that's sad to say. Of course, he just had a birthday and graduation so he's got some pennies saved.

In fact, he counted out his paper money and big coins and realized he has a lot of pennies. A lot. So yesterday he started sorting them by year -- to see if he had one from each year, etc. Today, since he had it "off," he slept in until 11 then got back on the "project" this afternoon. Now that he has them all stacked he doesn't know what he's going to do with them. Put them in special containers, a book, what?

I've got an idea. How about helping us buy a new sump pump?

Oh yes, today helpful Carter did some laundry again and flooded the basement again.If he thinks this is going to give him a free pass from laundry, he's got another thing coming.

No free passes.

Better keep saving those pennies.

Day of Rest

The myth that Sunday is a day of rest doesn't always hold true around here. Had quite the full schedule today.

Church at 8 then off to to the ballpark for a few hours to work concessions and do some field work (well Carter helped pick up garbage anyway). Hubby had to stay on a few more hours to help. Carter and I came home. I worked out to Jillian Michaels, took a shower, then we headed over to Jim's sister's house for Colin's graduation party.

Had a nice time. Casey came home from Eau Claire so he could join us, too. The temps were as hot as yesterday but the breeze and shade helped. It was a nice party. We're proud of that kid!

Got home just in time to watch the season finale of Mad Men. So I am blogging during a commercial and keeping this short.

I noticed a pile of stories I meant to edit this weekend for work. Ugh. If this is a day of rest, no wonder Mondays are so miserable!

Better get some rest.

Not So Hot

According to the Weather Channel, our high in Wisconsin Rapids today was 89 degrees at 2:45 p.m. That's exactly the time the Rapids Rage 13 & Under team was playing their second game of the day ... and still hoping for their first win.

Yes, it was a hot one today! Our games... not so hot.

The first game at 10 a.m. was already toasty. Thankfully, there was a consistent breeze or it would have been brutal.

Sort of like the 2 games.

We lost the first one 8-4 and the second one 7-4. So we went 0-3 for the tourney, which means we won't be playing in any championship rounds tomorrow. When, by the way, it is forecast to be even warmer. I'd still rather be playing.

Too bad Carter's bat was not as hot as the temperature. Too bad no one else's was either. We kept the games somewhat competitive but we struggled. The boys were hanging their heads but their moods improved when they went to one of their teammate's houses and cooled off in his pool. Nice.

While Carter did that, Jim stayed at the ballpark to help with field maintenance (that's the weekend duty of the tournament hosts) and I came home and made some Mandarin Orange Salad for Colin's graduation party tomorrow (I finished my mints at 10 last night).

Now Carter is watching the Celtics and nursing a sore arm and back. He scraped himself up good, really good, on the slide at the pool. I cleaned it out good with hydrogen peroxide, which he did not enjoy. Hopefully it's enough to prevent infection.

If he starts foaming at the mouth, I'll let you know. Of course, that might keep him cool...

Learning Curve

This week has flown by at warp speed. Of course, when we're busy, we don't notice or even get dizzy -- until it's suddenly Friday and we're TGIFing.

Carter had baseball practice Tuesday and Wednesday, then had his first league game last night. He's on the Phillies this year -- another red team -- and Daddy is not coaching so we are going to sit back and watch for a change. I say "we" since hubby won't be calling the plays and I won't be recording any in any scorebook. The Phillies beat the Mets by the 10-run rule. It is so much better to be at the giving -- rather than receiving -- end of one of those for a change!

Carter did OK in that game but was moving pretty slowly. "Why?" you ask. Well, I'll tell you.

He was limping down the hall Wednesday morning (the day he went to work with us) and I asked what was wrong. He said he was sore from "working out" on Tuesday, his first day of summer vacation. What did he do exactly? It turns out he did some toe raises -- you know how you raise yourself up on your toes and it works your calves. Well, he did 10 toes raises... on each step going from the basement up to the main floor. Uhm, that's over a hundred stressful stretches to his otherwise non-engaged calves! No wonder he could hardly walk.

Today, Friday, is 3 days later and he is still struggling. Poor kid. It's a learning process.

He is also sore on his back and shoulders today because despite parental warning, he did not think he needed sunscreen while spending the afternoon at a pool party yesterday. Ouch. It's a learning process, right?

But wait, that wasn't the most costly lesson he learned this week...

Today he was home alone and had to do his own laundry so he'd have his baseball gear clean for tonight. The good news is he was quite independent and washed his own clothes. The bad news is he forgot to take his iPod out of his shorts pocket before he did so.

Groan. That's gotta hurt.

"It's just another day of being an idget," he said.

Uffda. Sure would have been nice to erase all the bad with a baseball win tonight. But that didn't happen. Close, but not quite. We are holding the tournament in Rapids this weekend so there are 54 teams involved between the multiple age groups. At least it's close to home -- 5 minutes away.

Carter's team played Marshfield at 5 p.m. We were behind 0-2 and came back to tie it in the 4th, then went ahead 3-2 at the top of the 7th. Marshfield came back at their last at bat to beat us 4-3. Bummer. Carter connected a few times but did not get a hit. On defense, we enjoyed one inning where he was playing 2nd base and got all 3 outs. That was fun to see.

I guess if he's improving, he's learning something. I bet all these lessons this week were not in his plans for summer vacation, though! At this rate, he'll be pretty smart by high school.

Witch Doctor

Today -- 5 months & 1 week since my ER visit -- I finally had my last session with my Witch Doctor. (I will miss her great couch!).

I recall hubby and a handful of others who have said all along that someday I'd look back and say, "Wow, 2012 sure started off like crap. Glad I got through that!" And here I am, close to saying that. How did I get here? There's no magic pill. Well, there sort of is, but I went another route first.

The Witch Doctor I was seeing used a voodoo method called EMDR. The in-a-nutshell Wikipedia explanation is this: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of psychotherapy used to resolve the development of trauma-related disorders caused by exposure to distressing, traumatizing, or negative life events. The goal of EMDR therapy is to process these distressing memories, reducing their lingering influence and allowing clients to develop more adaptive coping mechanisms.

To accomplish this, and this is the voodoo part, she had to use bilateral stimulation (e.g. eye movements, tones, or tapping) during each session. I wasn't exactly "going under" like hypnosis, but my mind was in place I could process through distressing memories and events, and move on. Yes, most recently, I was distressed about my near-fainting experiences, especially when driving. But there were other things to get "out of the way" first. Needless to say I have enough baggage to open a luggage store. But hey, my inventory is way down now. Yay.

So little by little, we EMDR'd our way through it. It's an amazing process. Simply fascinating. I can't believe that when we first started, I couldn't drive 3 minutes to the bank, could not handle sitting in a gymnasium to watch Carter play basketball and couldn't set foot in Wal-Mart (oh the money we saved back then). 

During these 5 months, I have learned a lot about myself but also have come to empathize with people who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks on a much more serious level. It's no picnic. I am glad I decided to be open and honest about my struggle. I discovered a lot of people have traveled those same challenging footsteps and survived. I also discovered I have more caring friends than I could dream of -- giving me advice, support, a listening ear, hugs and rides when I needed them. 

And hubby did all those things and more.

I am so blessed. And so grateful. 

Now I can finally start my Happy New Year! Bring on the noisemakers!

All in a Day's Work

On his second day of summer vacation, Carter had to get up at 6 a.m. like Mom and Dad so he could ride with us to Iola. He had a big day ahead.

First stop was the Fitness & Aquatic Center to meet with his summer boss. Yes, he has a job! He will be working part time there, doing everything from helping with swimming lessons to serving as a "junior counselor" at Kidz Camp. When he is not working, per se, he will be participating in the Adventures In Leadership program again. Busy boy! All this and baseball 5 days a week in June and July. Ha.

After his job meeting, he came over to work with us. I think for once he was jealous of my job in the classic car division. Can you see why?

He got to spend the morning with our editor Angelo, cruising in his '55 Cadillac and seeing millions, yes millions, of dollars worth of cars in a collection near Iola. Then he and Angelo let a parade of classic cars that were part of the Freedom Road Rally back to our old car show grounds.

No, he didn't drive it, but Angelo let him sit behind the wheel! He was drooling alright! And thinking how he is making his older brother Casey (owner of a '85 Caddy) jealous!

He's saying, "Just two more years and I can drive this!" I'm saying, "You better keep saving those cans!"

The other part of the experience is that he had my camera with him and took photos of many of the cars participating in the group touring around the country. Since I am the online editor for our transportation division, I got to post those photos for all to see! And give him his first photography credit, of course.

Check out the album on Facebook. This is a "public" page so you can get onto it without creating a Facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Cars-Weekly/54353598303.

Enjoy what for some of us, is all in a day's work!

Hello, High School

Mondays have a reputation for being challenging so it should be no surprise ours was!

Carter had his last day of school and only half a day at that. A friend's mom got him home so we didn't have to leave work early. Well, we still had to leave a little early so we could get home in time for me to iron his dress shirt and get him to the church for the 8th-grade mass and graduation ceremony.

Good thing I procrastinated on ironing that shirt. If I hadn't, we would have been unaware of what was lurking in the basement. In a word, a mess!

I went downstairs to iron his shirt and I notice the carpet is wet all the way from the bottom of the stairs to the laundry room entrance. I didn't even want to see what was behind door #1. I knew it wouldn't be good. Long story short, the sump pump somehow stalled in the morning while we all were taking showers so all that water was now on the basement floor and seeping into the nearby carpeted areas. Jim jiggled the pipe above it and it immediately kicked in, so that was good.

I really couldn't iron that shirt, plugging it in an electrical outlet while standing in water, so I ended up doing that on the kitchen table. Somehow that shirt was our priority. We had to get to town so we left everything as it was and knew we had a mess to face once we got through graduation.

And we did. And it was nice. It was impossible to get a decent shot of Carter getting his diploma. Not good lighting, but I tried. Then it was downstairs to the church basement for refreshments. Naturally, we wanted to get home and see what we'd have to deal with all night, but this was Carter's moment. So I snapped candids of him and a lot of his friends and then he hugged some goodbye and he'll see them in high school. No, I did not cry. I think my mind was on something else. Sigh.

Anyway, here's what you missed:

First in line (alphabetically) to receive his diploma from Principal Gibbons.

Proud of our new high schooler!!

Assumption class of 2016... and 1981.

Yes, he is officially taller than me!

Friend Emily. She's a cutie!

Classmate Gena has always towered over Carter. She is really nice and looks awesome with her new smile. She got her braces off just in time for graduation!

The guys hamming it up.

His buddy Jon.

Basketball teammate, obviously. Ha.

Hugging Macey.

Hugging sweet Macyn... sensing a theme here?

Hugging his bestest buddy Olivia. He's not blushing; it was hot in the church.

His golfing buddy and fellow mischief-maker Tyler.

Carter and his gal pals. With 20 boys in a class of 53, the odds are in his favor! Another reason to look forward to high school!

Please Stand By...

For this important commercial message:

WE HAVE A HIGH SCHOOLER IN THE HOUSE!!

Carter's 8th-grade graduation was only marred by the fact we came home to a flooded basement today. Off to help hubby with the mess. Gonna be a long night. I'll fill you in on the good stuff tomorrow!

Early Bird Special

They called this baseball tournament in Plover an "early bird" tournament. I guess it just means it's the first of the year and it is sort of a "practice" for what is to come. Each team played 3 games over the weekend and there were no playoff games for championships.

Probably a good thing. We got smoked today by the 10-run rule, 15-3. Yikes. Just up against a really good team that smacked the ball often -- and far. So we end the weekend 1-2, which wouldn't have earned us a playoff spot anyway. And certainly no hardware.

It was a good starting point, though. The team has 3 new members compared to last year so it was good to actively learn each other's strengths and build as a team. I look forward to their progress.

We also had an "early bird" summer peek at what Sundays might look like. In a word: Full.

We all got up for 8 o'clock church, then at 10:15 we headed back into town to a friend's house so Jim could help a bunch of other guys move a hot tub there. After that project, they fed us and we had to book it back out to our house so Carter could get his uniform on and we could proceed to Plover.

Crazy busy full.

It was almost too busy of a day to get any steps in. So when we parked at the ball field and I had an hour to blow, I walked over to King Cone and back. Oh yes, I stopped inside, too. Ha. I got more steps when we got back home and I had to run (well, drive) to Wal-Mart to get some groceries while hubby had a sports board meeting.

So now we're all under the same roof and it's almost bed time. The early bird gets the worm...

Or at least the shower first!

Satur-down Day

Now today was more like what a vacation day should be! Except for getting up early after only a few short hours of sleep. Blame me. I had a hacking cough that kept both hubby and I awake. Darn allergies.

Carter's team met for batting practice at 7 a.m. and then we were on the road to Plover by 8 for a 9 a.m. game against Appleton. Today's game was a contradiction. We lost 9-2 but it was a good game for Carter. He finally connected during all of his at bats! He got out the first time, hit a solid single to center the next time, then got a single and RBI his last up. So that was good to see.

We don't play again until tomorrow at 3 p.m. so that meant the rest of the day was our own. Jim went golfing with some of the other team dads. Carter and I did some shopping for items he'll need for a backpacking adventure later this summer. I'll tell you more about it soon.

We were home by early afternoon. I whipped up some cranberry bars and, while those were baking, mixed up my mints. I'll be forming them into their graduation shapes over the next few days for our nephew Colin's party next weekend.

After I got those things done, I headed out to my lounge chair on the lower patio and soaked up some sun. Nice. The temp was only mid-70s at the most, so it was quite pleasant. I was hoping to take a little nap but that didn't happen. Still, it was so relaxing to finally sit down and do nothing.

In the late afternoon, Carter and I did some more shopping and found some hiking boots on sale.Yay. Picked up a pizza and met Jim at home for supper. I finally got some steps in after supper and am ready to hit the hay early!

First some photos. Of course, I had my camera. It looks sunny and warm but we woke up to temps in the low 50s so we were chilling out!

Tossing it in to 2nd base.

Rounding 1st.

Contemplating a steal.

Ready at 2nd, hoping to make it to 3rd and home, but that was the end of that inning.

Getting a piece of it.

Connecting!

"C" is for Carter and, obviously, COOL!

And We're Off...

My plan today was to take the day off so I could join hubby on his last day of vacation and, with any luck, do something fun together. You know what they say about the best-laid plans...

Ugh. Day did not turn out how I had planned, but in the end it was as good as I could have wanted.

First half of the day I honestly spent working, trying to solve a problem and complete a project via email... lots of email. Unfortunately, by noon, the only thing I had accomplished on my list of things to do was changing the calendar. And that wasn't even on my list. I just did it and said to Jim, "Now I can say I accomplished something."

Well he had a list, too. So while I finally went grocery shopping, he mowed the front yard. When I came home, he took off for Wisconsin Dells to pick up Carter so he'd back in time for his first tournament game. Meanwhile, I had to hem his new baseball pants -- by 6 1/2  inches -- in time for that first game, too. That was a challenge for this undomestic goddess. And while I measured and hemmed evenly, they are too short because he wore them low on the hips last night, which is not how you end up wearing them with a belt and your uniform top tucked in. Grr. So I am in desperate need of a seamstress this week to re-hem that, now another inch longer.

One of the positives today is that my friend Christine came over in the afternoon and we got a nice walk by the lake in -- plus some nice visiting. After she left, I sat out on the back deck and got some sun while launching into my new book.... you know the one I'm talking about. It arrived in my mailbox this week!

I only had a half hour to sun, then I had to get ready so Jim and Carter could pick me up on the way to Plover (about 15-20 minutes east of here). As a spectator, I have to say they have an awesome ballpark set up over there. Nice fields, seating and concessions. They even serve King Cone. Not kidding!

It turned out to be a great first game out of the gate for the 2012 summer baseball tournament season! We ended up winning 8-4 with Carter making the last catch in right field to end the game. Whew.

He played second base quite a bit and then 2 innings in right field. He had a good game defensively but struggled a bit on offense with two strikeouts and a pop-up out. Bummer. He felt pretty good after the game, though, knowing he got some great outs and that ultimately, we won.

Now we turn around and play at 9 a.m. -- with batting practice at 7 a.m.

Oh yes, summer ball is here and we're off and running!